The Beginning, or the End?
by Unknownchocolate
Summary: She had dealt with men like him before, and she highly disliked them. Or so she thought. Give it a chance people!
1. Broken Beer Bottles

TBTE

Broken Beer Bottles

A sinisterly handsome man walked through the door of the Devil Head's Tavern; a cold breath of wind followed him,

turning everything silent for a moment. Burel, the tavern owner, looked at him and tried to smile but failed.

"Welcome, what can I get for you?" he asked sweat beading his greasy brow and the stranger's gaze swept

over the bar and in a captivating husky voice he spoke. "Whiskey, Straight." The hordes in the tavern

returned to a loud and obnoxious mass of bodies, the man dubbed normal. The mysterious man wearing a black trench coat seated

himself at an empty table in the back shadows of the tavern.

Soon enough one of Burel's slaves walked out the door that led to the kitchen. She carried a tray on one

hand with the other at her side she slipped through the rambunctious crowds with grace, and natural ease.

She said nothing to the drunkards who tried to block her path, but simply handed out the drinks and food

she had, and side-stepped them and went about her business. Dark green hair fell to her waist yet it was pulled

back with long bangs hanging on either side of her elegant pale face. A faded jean mini skirt that

sported safety pins and a few deliberate tears, and a sleeveless charcoal grey shirt adorned her slim figure,

simple sandals guarded her feet against the broken glass of liquor bottles old or new. Around her neck was

an iron wrought collar, heavy and durable, it was covered in patterns of swirls, waves, trees, and on the

front was an almost sketchy depiction of a wolf. With a sigh her green eyes roamed the tavern, and she

reluctantly headed in the stranger's direction. She had dealt with men like him before, and she highly disliked

them. They thought they were so much better, and that they could do anything to her because she was a

slave. Burel didn't care as long as she wasn't killed or crippled and his customers were happy.

She didn't know what, but for some reason the stranger seemed different, the aura around him that she

could see wasn't like that of the others; she couldn't quite place it besides the hues of black, and burgundy

maybe even the subtle splashes of a dark warm blue. She approached him slowly, much more quietly than before,

and set his three shots of whiskey on the table in front of him. She turned to leave but felt a cold stare

boring into her back. Turning around to face him, she said nothing, but simply met his sapphire eyes with

her own emerald orbs. A ghost of what once might have been a smile drifted across his lips.

She was twitching inside, if that were possible. She was starting to get scared, she looked

closer, he was truly no older than she was maybe one or two years over twenty-three. He motioned her into

the seat across from him. She set the tray down on another table and sat obediently. He looked her up and

down, for some odd reason she found herself trying not to blush, this had been part of her life, why did it

bother her so much that this total stranger looked at her. She studied his eyes, again there was a difference.

She almost arched an eyebrow at him, she had seen only the look of searching, not the blood red eyes of

lust.

"So, as a slave do you have a name?" he asked in his husky voice sending a chill down her spine, yet she

suppressed a shiver. She looked at him and nodded. "Yes, it's Clarice." She said quietly her eyes darting

towards the bar, and then back to the stranger who was not only scaring her, but was causing her to greatly wonder.

Burel was talking to someone, so for now she was okay. He nodded, his lengthy black hair hanging

scraggily around his darkly almost chiseled features which made her tingle when his attention rested on her.

A person in a black trench coat slipped into the tavern, without being noticed, a black brimmed hat with

silver around its base shadowed the persons features. Suddenly, Clarice glanced at the stranger who had

seated themselves on her other side and she turned back to the stranger and he was looking at her, one

eyebrow raised. "Well, would you like to find out what the universe holds, or would you like to remain?" he

asked his husky voice low and captivating her attention, like water dripping just out of her reach, when

Burel chose to punish her.

She grinned mischievously. "Why not? At least you have a chance of pulling it off." She said and

winked, at the slightly surprised yet expecting expression of the man across from her. He nodded, and

downing a shot of whiskey the person who had joined them took the other, she noticed that oddly both of

them had manicured nails, no polish, simply well kept. _Gotta stop being so freaky_. She thought to herself,

she blinked and glanced towards the bar but the stranger's friend blocked her view. The stranger stood up

and looked at her. _Until I say otherwise, you say nothing from now on_. She blinked as the thought

entered her mind, and she locked eyes with him for a moment, she looked away with a slight nod. She was

starting to wonder what she was getting pulled into; surely telepathic men were far better than being one of

Burel's slaves.

His faceless accomplice stood, blocking view of her from the rest of the tavern, and her view of it. The

stranger nodded, and within seconds Clarice was on her feet, and quickly realized that she was being

wrapped inside of the now open black trench coat of the accomplice. She felt warm flesh against her own,

causing a blush, she silently appreciated the darkness. She kept her instructed silence, never making a noise

as she was marched out of the inn right under Burel's nose. Unaware that one of his prized slaves was being

taken from him he continued to entertain customers.

* * *

Well that's the first chapter of The Beginning or the End. I hope you liked it, and yes this is the version of this chapter that has been edited a bit. I'm also editing the other (I'll put v.2 at the top so that you'll know if you're reading the re-edited versions. I'm working on the details of chapter 5 at the moment and hope to have it out by this evening or sometime tomorrow. Arigato for giving my story a chance! Reading your reviews has reinspired me to continue with a whole new string of ideas.

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


	2. Into Shadows Uknown

TBTE

Into Shadows Unknown(v.2)

She couldn't tell whether it was day or night when they left the tavern. The only thing she could see was

the black inner folds of the trench coat surrounding her, until she felt the rush of a train passing. Finally she

was released from the nearly claustrophobic shield of her escape. Her vision suddenly returned, flooded

with myriads of lights, people, and things, and she still had yet to regain her mental stability. She was lost in thought as he tugged gently

on her left arm, his friend on her right, together they steered her onto a subway car, and she was gently

pushed into a seat between the two. Thinking nervously about how things would turn out, her anxiety

beginning to show. She had unconsciously removed a paperclip from one of the tears in her mini skirt and

proceeded to bend it into a contortionist.

A calloused slender hand stopped her fidgeting fingers. _Stop, your giving that mother _

_a hard time controlling her son's attention._ The thought intruded into her mind. She snuck a glance to her

left and was greeted with the curious gaze of the child watching her fingers work the piece of metal; _he's not _

_the only one you've captivated._ She blinked and glanced to her right at the man who had given her the

opportunity to be free, and realized that he had been following her flustered antics also.

Blushing profusely, she shifted in her seat. Finally taking a good look at the currently more mysterious of

the two, Clarice was shocked to find that her stare was returned by the bloody crimson orbs of….a

woman. Her eyes were just barely visible between her neon streaked bangs, yet so clear. She was tall and

muscular, her hair brown pulled back slightly, two neon green streaks on either side of a neon pink one

made up the bangs that covered half of her elegant face. The woman graced Clarice with a half-smile;

Clarice returned the gesture with a blink and a small sheepish smile. She sighed inwardly, multitudes of

questions assaulting her own thoughts. _Do not worry so much, it'll be alright. He's not going to hurt _

_you, he's here to help keep you safe. And besides he __**IS**__ the one who saved you._ Clarice nodded a

fraction of an inch and shifted again as the train slowed dramatically, reaching their destination.

As they left the car He started to drift away into the crowd but Clarice wasted no time in latching onto his

arm before he could disappear. She tilted her head back to look up at him, her eyes distraught. He said

nothing but calmed her with a steady and reassuring gaze, as if dealing with a child awakening from a

nightmare. _Say hello to 'Lure and Stowe for me._ She relaxed considerably after a moment just from

hearing his thoughts, her eyes frantically confused, traveled to the other woman. Her gaze was gentle, and

after a shared nod Clarice released his arm being led in another direction, he had already disappeared into

the crowd.

_By the way I know you've been wondering. My name is Armina. We're going to a café, its fairly _

_nice. We're to meet some friends there. _Clarice nodded almost reflexively, but caught herself, her lips

parting. Armina shushed her before she could even form the question. _He'll tell you when he feels the _

_need to. Or wants to._ Was all she heard before she became entranced by an intriguing tarnished silver

moon with quicksilver and indigo script the read in scrawled lettering _The Blue Midnight Café._

She snapped back into reality in just enough time to stop herself from tripping over her own feet as Armina

ushered her through the door under the aged sign. _Say nothing until I say its safe, and keep your eyes _

_blank, don't look anyone in the eye. _

* * *

Alright that's a wrap for the second chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, please review. Arigato for reading!

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


	3. Revelations

TBTE

Revelations(v.2)

Clarice gasped inwardly, as Armina steered her through the café, a firm hand

pressing gently against the small of her back. She kept her gaze emotionless as instructed,

and let her gaze sweep a single time over the occupants of the shadowy café. She

instantly noted all routes of exit and took in the layout of the place. It had always been a

habit of hers. Even after the brief glance she would be able to find her way around in the

café in complete darkness if need be, without tripping at that. Armina had recognized the

quick flash of the younger woman's eyes and suppressed a grin. Armina pushed her into a

booth in the back of the café the farthest as possible from prying eyes, and sat across the

from her this time.

Clarice looked at Armina expectantly, waiting for another thought foreign to her to

intrude on her conscience. Armina gave her another half smile knowing just what she was

waiting for. _I see you've noticed that this café is extremely different than you thought it _

_would be. _Armina continued after the green-eyed woman nodded slightly. _This café, 'The _

_Blue Midnight Café' is owned by demons, and the employees, consist of vampires, _

_werewolves, elves, and what-not. The customers to this café are just as varied. The police _

_never come in here, no matter what happens, the only time humans ever come here, is if _

_they have a death wish, or are completely desperate for someone who can do a job right. _

_You'll be safe here-_ Armina stopped suddenly and with a half smile she turned in her

seat. Clarice blinked and followed her gaze, still hiding behind her bangs. She nearly

gasped at the two creatures that stood before them. One a tan brown-haired woman of

5'8", furry black cat ears poked through her messy hair that was pulled back with

chopsticks. Her black trench coat was open revealing a pair of black shorts, and a

crimson red tank, a furry black tail wrapped around her waist instead of a belt. Her feline

yellow eyes glimmered in amusement and she gave Clarice a warm fanged smile. At her

shoulder stood a man of 6'4" his skin tone was a few shades darker than the woman he

stood next to. His silver chin length hair streaked with indigo fell in disarray around his

handsome features, and his lavender orbs oddly enough his pupils were silver instead of a

normal black. His gaze met Armina's and the proceeded to look Clarice over. She fought

to keep down a blush. He inclined his head slightly; "Yo" was the welcome that he gave

them, before he proceeded to sit next to Armina, and the woman with feline

characteristics sat next to Clarice, oddly enough the green-haired woman didn't mind

nearly as much as she would've thought originally.

Armina sighed but turned to face Clarice again, "Alright, we've waited. Clarice, this is Jade Stowe as you can see she is a

Neko." She elaborated gesturing to her. The half-woman-half-cat flashed another fanged

smile. "Nice to finally meet you Clarice." The soft musical sound nearly startled the

green-haired youth from her seat. She nodded, smiling weakly in return. "Cat got your

tongue?" Came a husky but recognizable voice. She rolled her eyes shooting a quick

glare at the speaker as he joined them. Armina rolled her eyes as well completely

ignoring him. "Anywho, this is McClure Lysander, he is a shape shifter." Clarice nodded

at the tall man who gave her a slight smile in return by way of greeting. "Have a nice

walk Baine?" The neko next to her questioned. Said man glared at her, but with a sigh his

eyes landed on Clarice. "I told you I wouldn't be long." Was all he said to her as he

pulled at the brim of his black hat. Clarice sighed. The man known as Lysander glanced

at her, and then let his eyes roam over the occupants of the main room. "You alright,

hun?" Jade asked almost curious. "I'm fine, though I'm just beginning to realize how

non-conversational these two are going to be. I mean I can already tell they've been

mistaken for mutes before." She elaborated earning a glare from Baine, and an amused

look from Lysander. Armina and Jade grinned from ear to ear, "I think we'll get along

just fine, hun." Was the unison reply from the other two women of their small group.

Clarice was lost in her own thoughts when she felt something next to her, an energy

spike. Her eyes darted to her left, and sure enough the neko's hand was

emitting a soft yet eerie green glow. As she followed its progress, and came to the

conclusion that it was headed for her neck, her reaction was to shrink back into the corner

that she was seated in. The neko sighed and dropped her arm to her side as she stood the

glow retreating from her hand. Clarice stood also, but had relaxed considerably. The next

thing she comprehended was being shoved onto the table. Her back cracked ever so

slightly at the rough impact, as Lysander, Armina, and Baine restrained her. Jade worked

quickly, the green glow back. Clarice watched the neko's hand she had already quit

struggling hopelessly. The warm aura engulfed the collar around her neck, and despite

the seamless iron it snapped cleanly in two, as if on hinges. It fell from Clarice's neck,

and she gasped air completely filing her lungs without the metal hindrance. Only light

bruises marked the pale skin of her neck, Lysander had released her wrists, and both

hands flew to her bare throat. "T-thank you, so much." She choked out nearly in tears,

Armina and Jade supported the younger girl with their arms around her waist. She

nodded a silent thanks for the support, unsure if she would have fallen over without them.

She grasped at her head with one hand, the other squeezing Lysander's hand until her

knuckles turned white. "It's alright dear; you're just getting your memories back."

Armina murmured softly and Baine watched sympathy evident in his gaze. She groaned almost

silently as the pain increased. Flashing images of things, she couldn't believe, not right

now, maybe later, but not now. Lysander stood silently with Armina and Jade, as Baine

gaped slightly at Clarice, tan and brown pointed wolf ears poked through her green

tresses, and at the sound of ripped fabric a brown tail tipped with tan fur wove its way

around her waist.

Clarice's eyes snapped open, and she sat up fully with a stretch. After a

yawn as though she had just awoken from a nap she blinked owlishly at Baine. "How

many flies have you eaten?" She asked jokingly instead of asking what time it was.

Sometime during her transformation they had moved her into another room, probably still

inside the café she reasoned. "What?" She snapped at him almost annoyed. Lysander came

through the door before he could speak. "Stop annoying her you lousy idiot." The shape

shifter commented before kicking him out of the room. "I know this might be shocking,

but the reason he was staring was because, well, you're like Jade, just different, in a

way…" Clarice didn't like how Lysander had trailed off of his statement, it somehow

made her uncomfortable. "What I'm trying to say is, well, that, you're like her but you

don't have cat DNA your other DNA half is wolf. So instead of cat characteristics like

Jade has, you have those of a wolf." He said with a relieved sigh that he had done what

he was supposed to. Lysander's expression betrayed his surprise clearly when she asked

him calmly. "You drew the shortest straw didn't you?" He gave her a look of disbelief

but grinned despite himself. "I think we could get along." He said quietly. She smiled in

return. "I think that will work just fine." They laughed for a moment, before turning to

the door at the same time. Before they could move to open the door, Jade, Armina, and

Bane came bursting through, concern etched into their features. They looked back and

forth between the two, Lysander and Clarice gave a confused owlish blink that caused the

trio to crack up in spite of their concern. Clarice shared a look with Lysander, they both

agreed that the other three of them were on something, or had just plain lost it. "Yea…"

was all Clarice had to say. Lysander didn't even bother to speak.

"So what's wrong?" She questioned when they had finally settled down, and they sat again at a table, a cup of coffee in her hands. "Well

we didn't hear a scream, or a thump of an unconscious body hitting the floor, so we came to see if you were alright."

Armina explained Baine and Jade's expressions sheepish. "I'm fine, really." She said

trying to reassure them. "What were you two laughing about anyways?" Baine asked her

eyeing Lysander suspiciously. "Nothing, nothing at all." Clarice said, she glanced at

Lysander and they both grinned. "So no questions about why you're suddenly not

completely human?" Jade asked almost curious, almost. "I guess I always knew I was

different somehow, just not quite How I was different. This I never would've guessed."

She said quite cheerfully for someone whose life had just been turned completely upside

Down, inverted, and possibly put on hallucinogens. The other three members of their group watched her for a

moment a smile splitting each of their features at her reaction to the day's events.

* * *

That's chapter 3 of TBTE. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review it means the world to me!! Argato for reading once again!!

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


	4. Coffee and Carrot Top

TBTE

Coffee and Carrot Top(v.2)

The bustling, over crowded, noisy, steam filled kitchen of _The Blue Midnight Café _was just that, bustling, over crowded, steam filled, and noisy. Elves, demons, experiments, and goblins alike worked in the kitchens, boiling, chopping, steaming, sautéing, frying, washing, and cleaning. Vampires, nymphs, elves, and werewolves filtered in and out of the kitchen in uniform white button-up shirts with three quarter sleeves, and indigo slacks or skirts.

A particularly clumsy vampire with blazing orange hair knocked shoulders with a werewolf of the same age on his way out, two trays filled with food and drink waiting to slip from the hands of the wolf-man as he fought to regain his balance. He remained upright, and was extremely pleased to see that the culprit had helped balance out both trays before they could be dropped. "Careful next time carrot-top…" Was the jesting growl he received from his old friend. The pale youth grinned sheepishly at the brunette and with a muttered apology went to fill his customers' orders, as the werewolf left the kitchen without further incident.

* * *

Balancing only one tray in his left hand and a pot of freshly brewed black coffee in his right the vampire left the kitchen and made his rounds among the tables in the front and the booths in the back. His tray half empty, the pot of coffee long gone, he spotted her as he set down two more plates in front of an elfish couple. _Green hair, green eyes...Damn! She's already transformed. Though the ears are a nice touch..._ The thought floated across his conscience and he looked away long before Baine sensed the probing look.

The young vampire set down the last cup of rum on the table of a mer-group. Making a bee-line for his intended target he leaned against the edge of the table eyes on Clarice. "Hullo there! Welcome to the dreadful _Blue Midnight Café_. Is there anything I can get for the gorgeous lady?" He asked, playing the part of a boy looking for romance a bit much for his own taste. Clarice flushed and stuttered out something that sounded vaguely like iced tea. He grinned and wrote it down. _Too easy._ Turning to Jade and Armina next he gasped dramatically. "To think that I haven't paid either of you beautiful creatures with as much attention as your companion! To shame with me!" He cried in a fake Scottish accent. "What shall it be my dears?" "Coffee, black." They replied in unison, brushing off the flattery instantly. Without missing a beat, he turned to Lysander and Baine while scribbling something onto the notebook in his palm. "What'll it be lads?" The Scottish accent nearly cracked on the question, much to his dismay. The group suppressed a grin, Lysander and Baine ordered coffee also. "Just out of curiosity, what's your name?" The question shocked the group of four, but Clarice's unexpected question, no doubt delighted the vampire standing before them. "It's Aries, love." With a wink in her direction, he turned on his heel and strode over to a booth that was overflowing with demons.

They watched him take their orders, and watched until his flaming tresses were lost from sight. Bursting through the kitchen door, Aries ripped the page from his notebook and placed it on the spike, yelling something to one of the cooks. "Hey, I'm gonna take a quick break, be back in five." He muttered and with a nod from someone in view, he disappeared into one of the back storage rooms were he normally took his breaks.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying Clarice, is that asking for his name was like egging him on!" "And what does it matter!? I asked a perfectly harmless question! It's not like I asked him to elope with me to Miro or something!" She argued back forcefully. "Well I'm sorry if I don't want him to get the wrong idea!" "Wrong idea!? And that's supposed to mean!?" Clarice shot him a blood chilling glare and slid past Jade. She stormed off with quiet dignity not even she knew she possessed. Lysander sighed and after punching Baine in the shoulder, he followed the angry woman outside.

* * *

Aries, oblivious to the turn of events was leaning against the wall of the storage room, a slim black cell phone in hand. With an exasperated sigh, he deliberately punched in a number with just enough strength to crack the phone, but not actually damage it; he still needed to use it. "What do you want now?" An annoyed venomous voice broke through his thoughts. Aries glared at the phone as he spoke. "She's already transformed, and she's traveling with four of Liarel's old troupe. They already know whose daughter she is, and they are very protective of her." He hissed into the phone.

"You think I don't know that? Don't make me set the MeiRock on you." Aries looked at the phone in disbelief, "Only Liarel can command the MeiRock. Even you should know that, they would never bend to your wishes." He shot back, earning a growl to reverberate his ear from the other end of the line. "Insolent vampire! You will follow your target as instructed, or I will have you torn to shreds, but I will drop the match on you myself. Is that understood?" Aries winced at the frosty reply; he was silently thanking Lenore that he was far, far away from the voice on the other end of the phone. "I do not repeat myself Aries." He suppressed a shudder, at the toneless voice. "Crystal boss." The dial tone was a welcome sound to Aries who sighed with relief. "Damn bastard won't do anything himself." He muttered but snapped the cell shut and shoved it roughly into his pocket.

* * *

Entering the kitchen again, he picked up his last two orders and headed out with them. He barely dodged tripping over a dwarf as he made his way to the group of Demons. He ignored their comments and set down as many drinks as fast as possible, much to the demon party's delight. He flashed a grin and turned to make his way over to his last table before he was done his shift. As he walked he noticed the absence, of the tallest person in the group. He only spent a moment wondering where he had gone. He grinned happily, and passed out drinks, but his smile faltered for a moment when he saw Clarice's empty seat. _I could go after her now! No. That tall fellow is probably with her. Best not to chance it…_He thought and then grinned at Armina and Jade, opting to utterly ignore Baine. "Is there anything else that I can get for you lovely ladies?" He questioned, when he received 'no's from both women he slipped their bill onto the table and left.

Armina and Jade rounded then on the unfortunate Baine. "You don't have to be such an ass all the time Baine!" Jade growled at him from across the table. Armina glared at him as she spoke, "I mean you haven't even been in Clarice's company for a day and already you're fighting with her!! She is **NOT** Liarel! If you just miss fighting with our other sister, then wait 'til she comes back! Don't take it out on Clarice!" Baine blatantly ignored both of the angry women, and settled for blankly staring at the coffee in his hands. He said nothing about their annoyed voices being annoying to him, he knew they'd just punch him supposedly for stupidity.

* * *

Outside, in the gloom of an alleyway connected to the side of _The Blue Midnight Café_ Clarice had taken refuge on an empty spot of the sidewalks curb, even cracked as it was. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her chin resting on her arms she sighed to herself. "Baine can be an idiot most of the time." She surprised herself, normally the random voice speaking to her would have flustered her.

Without looking up, she already knew it was Lysander. He sat next to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Clarice, he may be an idiot, but he's not like that ALL of the time. He just misses Liarel, and since they normally argue I think that's the reason he started the argument with you. He needs to learn that you aren't Liarel. He'll come around, so don't worry too much about it, alright?" Clarice almost smiled at the concern she could hear in his deep tenor, but she suppressed it slightly remembering that she was supposed to be mad at Baine. Lysander had seen already and grinned for a moment. "We'll go back inside when you're ready." He said and then both the half-breed and the shape shifter, drifted off into their own thoughts.

* * *

Well that's the ending for Carot Tops and Coffee. Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for giving this story a chance! Please review!

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


	5. Happy Happy Joy Joy XD

Alright I've edited and reposted all of the chapters! So that's done and now they make a bit more sense. Hopefully. I hope to have chapter 5 out by tonight at the earliest, and tomorrow at the latest. I hope that you will continue to read my works, and will review with your comments; they mean so much to me! Also, I've finally published my troublesome website. It's not much but you can find a few more random short stories and poems of mine at unknownchocolate. Thank you for reading, and hopefully reviewing.

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


	6. Seeing is Deceiving

TBTE

Seeing is Deceiving(v.2)

Clarice looked to Lysander beside her, taking in his profile in the swirling city mist. She noted that his hair glistened, a mesmerizing mix of silver and indigo in the moisture; his almost regal features were defined and prominent, just like his well fitted nose, and his pale rugged lips. She stifled a gasp as his silver and lavender orbs bled into a set of amber pupil eyes ringed by blue irises almost as dark as the streaks that were lazily strung through his hair. He chuckled dryly at her reaction, and she hit his arm playfully, "That was so not fair!" She whined her wolf ears twitching with her feigned frustrations, which only caused his low chuckles to burst forth as a rumbling laughter of a rather low timbre.

He stopped when took in her expression, he raised an eyebrow at her as she tilted her head to the side slightly. "You should laugh more Lysander, it suits you." She said rather bluntly, her intense green eyes piercing his mutated amber and indigo gaze. He watched her blink owlishly, her words still sinking in, and he cracked a grin at her slightly sheepish face, as she bore her gaze elsewhere. _We'll see……we'll see…_ he thought to himself as he let her regain her composure, before the inevitable happened. She knew what he was waiting for and she sighed almost tiredly, before turning to face him once more. "Lysander, I hope I'm not prying too much. I was wondering if you'd share a few memories with me, preferably ones that mean something to you, and possibly a few that involve my mother….." She murmured, hoping that he wouldn't leave her there to think about what he wouldn't share with her.

He took a moment to think about her request, even though he'd been expecting it. He nodded his consent after a few minutes, which she received with a sigh of relief and a contented face. Clarice watched him curiously as his eyes faded back into their normal colors and glazed over slightly; she recognized the film of reminisce when she saw it and resettled herself on the cement to listen to the tale he was about to begin. "Well, I used to live on another planet, than this one, no doubt you know of the other planets," he said glancing at her for conformation before continuing, "It was a place called Altudeonis." A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he started again,

"I lived there for a handful of years, as a youth, the people and creatures there were always at each others throats. Never did they stop fighting, all the "glorious times of peace" were really only the times between the all out wars, and sometimes they were far more dangerous than the wars themselves. My mother was all I had left as a child; she had survived along with me, until one day she too was murdered like my father was. I already knew how to survive and I knew most of the tricks and lies of my people and I lived beyond the age of five. By the time I'd reached eleven years of age, most knew to stay far away from me, and fear my presence. It was hard and up until I was fifteen I would either scare people away or I would be forced to kill those who tried to get rid of me and failed. Being a shape shifter has its advantages yes, but I knew so little of my gift then that when I did manage to transform into something or someone else, I would be stuck like that for days.

When I finally became myself again after a week as a deer, I stopped transforming altogether, and I never ate deer again after being chased like that." He said and cracked his neck out of subconscious habit before pressing on. "It was after the beginning of a particularly sticky war that your mother found me. What Liarel was doing on Altudeonis I'll never know. All I do know is that she found me, and she got me off of that accursed warring planet that serves for Gerashin's entertainment." He said with a shudder his voice had dropped nearly an octave at the memories, as Clarice listened captivated. "She taught me how to fight, well different styles than I already knew, and she taught me how to use my gift.

We had many adventures together, all of us did. I became just another member of the Olde Troupe, and became a brother and now almost an uncle." He said finishing rather abruptly, much to her disappointment. When it finally dawned on her that he would say no more, she smiled at him in gratitude. "I thank you for sharing you story with me Lysander, I apologize for making you remember." She said quietly and was once again surprised as he hugged her, but she grinned and hugged him back; he stood, holding out a calloused hand twice the size of her own. "I think I'm ready." She muttered and took his hand, enjoying the moment of weightlessness as he pulled her to her feet. Without another word between the two of them they headed back into the crowded confines of _The Blue Midnight Café._

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Hey this is Chapter 5, the promised one!! XD It's done, albeit a bit short its done!! I hope that you enjoyed it, and no I won't have every character's past revealed that way, that'd make things much too predictable. Well I have exams tomorrow, so I have to get some sleep. Please, PLEASE review!! It would mean so much to me!! I promise if you review I'll have the next chapter out by tomorrow night or the day after!! T.T Arigato so much for reading!!

Ja mata, Chocolate-san


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